ABSTRACT
Candelilla wax is one of the most used natural products in industry, from cosmetics to electronics, besides being a substance generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At the present time, the candelilla wax extraction process is carry out by a traditional method with high human and environmental risks associated. This process is almost a century old and consists of immersions plant parts in high concentration sulfuric acid solutions. This has resulted in serious health problems to “foresters or candelilleros” and pollution caused by the deposition of sulfuric acid. Because the traditional extraction process has not been changed for almost a century and the negative effects that this represents, it has been tried to implement other processes. So in this chapter is shown new extraction process of candelilla wax as well as the outlook for actual applications.
